Houston @ Cincinnati Picks & Props

Yordan Alvarez hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.7% — 89th percentile) but may find it hard to clear MLB's 11th-deepest CF fences today. Playing on the road generally lessens hitter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Yordan Alvarez in today's matchup. In terms of his batting average, Yordan Alvarez has experienced some positive variance this year. His .314 figure has been considerably higher than the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .289.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Amed Rosario as the 16th-best hitter in the majors as it relates to his BABIP skill. The #6 park in MLB for boosting batting average to righties, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Extreme flyball batters like Amed Rosario tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like Justin Verlander. Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics across the board, and Amed Rosario will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Nick Lodolo will have the handedness advantage against Jeremy Pena in today's game. Playing on the road typically reduces batter stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Jeremy Pena in today's game. Over the past 7 days, Jeremy Pena's 22.7% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 42.4%. Jeremy Pena has displayed bad plate discipline this year, placing in the 15th percentile with a 4.26 K/BB rate.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Tyler Stephenson in the 88th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Tyler Stephenson is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in today's game. The #6 park in MLB for boosting batting average to righties, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Tyler Stephenson has an 89th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.1%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 8th-shallowest RF fences today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jonathan India in the 89th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Jonathan India is projected to hit 1st in the batting order in this matchup. The #6 park in MLB for boosting batting average to righties, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. Great American Ball Park has the 5th-shallowest left field fences among all major league stadiums. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Spencer Steer in the 83rd percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Spencer Steer is penciled in 5th in the batting order today. The #6 park in MLB for boosting batting average to righties, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Spencer Steer pulls many of his flyballs (34.8% — 86th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the game's 8th-shallowest LF fences today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Santiago Espinal in the 86th percentile when it comes to his batting average talent. The #6 park in MLB for boosting batting average to righties, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Santiago Espinal has an 84th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.1%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 8th-shallowest RF fences today. Santiago Espinal will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should improve all of his stats.

The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Will Benson will have the handedness advantage over Justin Verlander today. Home field advantage typically improves hitter metrics in all categories, and Will Benson will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Will Benson has made notable strides with his Barrel% of late, improving his 12.5% seasonal rate to 18.2% over the last two weeks. Will Benson has seen a sizeable gain in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 96.8-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal 89.5-mph average.

Hitting from the same side that Nick Lodolo throws from, Jose Altuve meets a tough challenge in today's game. Jose Altuve will be at a disadvantage playing away from home in today's game. Jose Altuve has made big strides with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 6.9% seasonal rate to 12.5% over the past 7 days. Jose Altuve's launch angle of late (4.9° in the past two weeks' worth of games) is a considerable dropoff from his 13.8° seasonal angle. Jose Altuve has had some very good luck with his batting average this year; his .296 rate is inflated compared to his .274 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Ty France's batting average talent is projected to be in the 84th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The #6 park in MLB for boosting batting average to righties, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. Great American Ball Park has the 5th-shallowest left field fences among all major league stadiums. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Ty France will benefit from the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats.

The #6 venue in Major League Baseball for boosting batting average to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Jake Fraley will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Justin Verlander in today's game. Jake Fraley pulls many of his flyballs (33.9% — 80th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 8th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter stats in all categories, and Jake Fraley will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Hitting from the same side that Nick Lodolo throws from, Yainer Diaz will be at a disadvantage in today's game. Playing on the road typically reduces batter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Yainer Diaz today. Yainer Diaz has struggled with his Barrel% recently; his 8% seasonal rate has dropped off to 0% in the past week. Yainer Diaz's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has decreased from last season to this one, decreasing from 21.6% to 11.7%. Yainer Diaz's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has dropped off recently, falling from 11.7% on the season to 0% over the past week.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Mauricio Dubon in the 83rd percentile when assessing his batting average talent. The #6 park in MLB for boosting batting average to righties, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Mauricio Dubon has a 93rd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (37.5%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them in the direction of baseball's 8th-shallowest RF fences today. Among all the teams playing today, the 7th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Elly De La Cruz as the best batter in MLB when estimating his BABIP skill. Elly De La Cruz is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in this game. The #6 venue in Major League Baseball for boosting batting average to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. In the league, Great American Ball Park's RF fences are the 8th-shallowest. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity.

Victor Caratini is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 86% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season. The #6 venue in Major League Baseball for boosting batting average to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Among all the teams playing today, the worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Based on Statcast metrics, Victor Caratini grades out in the 85th percentile per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average this year at .270.

T.J. Friedl is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this matchup. The #6 venue in Major League Baseball for boosting batting average to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Hitting from the opposite that Justin Verlander throws from, T.J. Friedl will have an advantage in today's game. T.J. Friedl pulls many of his flyballs (38.1% — 96th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 8th-shallowest RF fences today.

The #6 venue in Major League Baseball for boosting batting average to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Batting from the opposite that Nick Lodolo throws from, Jason Heyward will have an edge in today's matchup. Jason Heyward pulls a lot of his flyballs (37.4% — 95th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards baseball's 8th-shallowest RF fences today. Among all the teams playing today, the 7th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds.

Jon Singleton is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in today's game. The #6 venue in Major League Baseball for boosting batting average to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Jon Singleton will hold the platoon advantage over Nick Lodolo in today's game. Among all the teams playing today, the 7th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds.

The #6 venue in Major League Baseball for boosting batting average to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Dominic Smith will have the handedness advantage against Justin Verlander today. Dominic Smith will possess the home field advantage today, which figures to boost all of his stats. Dominic Smith's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better from last season to this one, increasing from 16.9% to 20.2%.

The #6 venue in Major League Baseball for boosting batting average to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Great American Ball Park. In the league, Great American Ball Park's RF fences are the 8th-shallowest. The weather forecast forecasts the 4th-most suitable hitting weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Ben Gamel will have the handedness advantage against Nick Lodolo in today's matchup. Among all the teams playing today, the 7th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds.